Caroline Aparecida Vaz de Araujo

Solid-State Bioconversion of Passion Fruit Waste by White-Rot Fungi for Production of Oxidative and Hydrolytic Enzymes

Yellow passion fruit waste (YPFW) is an abundant food waste in Brazil, rich in carbohydrates. The aim of the present work was to obtain useful oxidative and hydrolytic enzymes. YPFW solid-state cultures were done using the food-grade white-rot fungi Pleurotus ostreatus, Pleurotus pulmonarius, Macrocybe titans, Ganoderma lucidum, and Grifola frondosa. Under the conditions used in this work, the main enzymes produced by the fungi were laccases, pectinases, and aryl-β-d-glycosidases (β-glucosidases, β-xylosidases, and β-galactosidases). Laccases were produced by all fungi, and in this respect, the YPFW was as good as substrate as wheat bran, the most commonly substrate used for white-rot fungi cultivation. M. titans was the best producer of pectinase in YPFW cultures, while P. ostreatus and P. pulmonarius were the best producers of aryl-β-glycosidases in both YPFW and wheat bran cultures.

Proteases of Wood Rot Fungi with Emphasis on the Genus Pleurotus

Proteases are present in all living organisms and they play an important role in physiological conditions. Cell growth and death, blood clotting, and immune defense are all examples of the importance of proteases in maintaining homeostasis. There is growing interest in proteases due to their use for industrial purposes. The search for proteases with specific characteristics is designed to reduce production costs and to find suitable properties for certain industrial sectors, as well as good producing organisms. Ninety percent of commercialized proteases are obtained from microbial sources and proteases from macromycetes have recently gained prominence in the search for new enzymes with specific characteristics. The production of proteases from saprophytic basidiomycetes has led to the identification of various classes of proteases. The genus Pleurotus has been extensively studied because of its ligninolytic enzymes. The characteristics of this genus are easy cultivation techniques, high yield, low nutrient requirements, and excellent adaptation. There are few studies in the literature about proteases of Pleurotus spp. This review gathers together information about proteases, especially those derived from basidiomycetes, and aims at stimulating further research about fungal proteases because of their physiological importance and their application in various industries such as biotechnology and medicine.

Inibição da Lipase Pancreática e da Absorção Intestinal de Triacilglicerídeos pelo Extrato de Casca de Pinhão (Araucaria angustifolia)

Instituto Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul – Coordenação de Alimentos, CEP 79400000, Coxim, MS, BrasilE-mail: (roselene.oliveira@ifms.edu.br) Universidade Estadual de Maringá– Departamento de Bioquímica CEP 87020900, Maringá, PR, Brasil Universidade Federal da Fronteira Sul – Departamento de Nutrição CEP 89802-265 Realeza, PR, Brasil Instituto Federal do Paraná – Coordenação de Alimentos CEP 86400000, Jacarezinho, PR, Brasil